“Jin Ri!” Shindong yelled as a greeting. He pulled her out of the hallway and into the apartment. He kicked the door shut and hugged her tightly. “What are you doing here?” She didn’t usually visit the 12th floor dorm since Kyuhyun lived in dorm one floor down. He glanced down and saw that she was carrying two large paper bags. He grinned widely. “Is that food?”

Jin Ri nodded, laughing. “Food for everyone!” she announced, raising the paper bags of food, as soon as she walked further into the apartment. Most of the boys, even boys from the 11th floor, were situated in front of the television, watching some variety show. But they all scrambled up at the pronouncement of food.

“Jin Ri!” Ryeowook came bundling towards her and squeezed her into a hug. She laughed and hugged him back.

“What are you doing here?” Eunhyuk asked as he unwrapped all the food and put them on plates. “Kyu’s not going to be back ‘til later.” He then popped two pieces of Kimbaps in his mouth.

“Hyuk, don’t be rude,” Sungmin scolded lightly when rice spat out of his mouth as he chewed.

“Can’t I hang out with other friends, too?” she innocently told them. She opened another Tupperware, which was filled with sampgyupsal.

“Of course you can,” Donghae responded, poking his chopsticks into the meat and popping one in his mouth. “You’re always welcome to hang out with us.”

“Especially when you have food with you,” Shindong added cheekily.

She laughed then looked around. “Where are the others?” She noticed that aside from Siwon, who didn’t live with them in the dorms, and Kyuhyun, the older members, Leeteuk, Heechul and Yesung, weren’t around.

“Heechul hyung’s in SBS for some meeting for his radio show,” Sungmin relayed. “Yesung hyung is in a meeting for his new musical. Teukie hyung’s in his room, doing some composing.” He gestured towards one of the bedrooms.

“He’s been there a while,” Donghae continued. “He must be hungry by now.”

Her ears perked up at the mention of composing. She then picked up a plate and filled it with a little bit of everything that she brought for the boys. Quietly knocking on Leeteuk’s and Donghae’s bedroom door, she opened it and poked her head in.

The Super Junior leader was seated in front of his piano, decked in white pants and white sweater. He was leaned over his piano, writing something on the music sheet propped in front of him. He bit his lip thoughtfully for a second then proceeded to play some beautiful music, his fingers effortlessly moving across the keyboard. She leaned against the doorway and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the piano, which she absolutely loved. It made her think about all the times she did some composing in the past.

“Are you okay?”

Jin Ri straightened up so hurriedly that she almost dropped the plate of food she was holding. She smiled sheepishly and placed it on the table. “Sorry,” she apologized, looking guilty. “Please eat something. The boys say that you’ve been in here a while.” She turned towards the door.

“Do you want to sit?” Leeteuk asked, moving to the edge of the piano chair and patting the space beside him. After a second’s hesitation, she took the seat beside him and took a deep breath. “Kyu told me that you have a recording studio in your apartment.”

“I do,” she established with a nod. “It’s not something that I plan to go back to any time soon. But you play wonderfully,” she told him honestly, gesturing at the piano.

He gave her a warm smile. “Why don’t you play something? Just between the two of us,” he promised.

Jin Ri just stared at the piano for a couple of seconds. The piano reminded her so much of the life she had left behind and of the people whom she had driven away from her. But she took a deep breath and placed her dainty fingers on the white keys.

“It's October again 
Leaves are comin' down 
One more year's come and gone 
And nothing's changed at all 
Wasn't I supposed to be someone 
Who can face the things that I've been runnin' from 

Let me feel 
I don't care if I break down 
Let me fall 
Even if I hit the ground 
And if I 
Cry a little 
Die a little 
At least I know I lived 
Just a little 

I become much too good 
At being invincible 
I'm an expert 
At play at safe and keep it cool 
But I swear 
This isn't who I meant to be 
I refuse to let my life 
Roll all over me 

Let me feel 
I don't care if I break down 
Let me fall 
Even if I hit the ground 
And if I 
Cry a little 
Die a little 
At least I know I lived 
Just a little 

I wanna be somebody 
I, I wanna be somebody 
I wanna be somebody 
I, I wanna be Somebody 
Who can face the things that I've been Runnin' from 

Let me feel 
I don't care if I break down 
Let me fall 
Even if I hit the ground 
And if I 
Cry a little 
Die a little 
At least I know I lived... 

It's October again 
Leaves are comin' down 
One more year's come and gone 
And nothing's changed at all...”

Leeteuk studied Jin Ri as she played. She had her eyes closed. Her fingers had memorized the notes on the keyboard, naturally flying through each white and black keys. It was like seeing through her, seeing through the happy masks that she put up for everyone. Through her music, it was obvious that she bared her soul and gave everything to it. He wondered why she was so afraid to go back.

She stopped abruptly, chuckling nervously. “Sorry,” she muttered when Leeteuk didn’t say anything. “I’m rusty.” When he went on gaping at her, she added, “That bad, huh?”

“Bad? No!” he disagreed heavily. He shook his head, a smile on his face. “What was that?”

“I think I’m going to call it Let Me Fall*, but I’m not sure yet,” she shared with a nonchalant shrug.

“Does Kyuhyun know about this?” he wanted to know. He wondered if he knew how talented she was.

She shook her head. “This song? He doesn’t,” she answered. “It hasn’t really come up.”

“He’s going to be blown away,” he told her, shaking his head once more. “That was really good.” He frowned in a confused way. “But I thought you said you hadn’t been composing.”

“This is actually the first time I’ve played it,” she disclosed, smiling. “I’ve just been writing the notes and lyrics.”

“You’re very talented,” he sincerely imparted to her.

“Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you,” she gratefully stated.

“I think you should consider going back to music,” he gently advised. “It obviously hasn’t left you.”

There was a knock on the door. Jin Ri stood up and opened it. A grinning Ryeowook greeted them. “Jin, there’s someone outside who wants to meet you.”

“Me?” she curiously repeated, glancing at Leeteuk and then following Ryeowook outside. Leeteuk turned his piano off and went out as well to see who had arrived.

Siwon was standing in the middle of the living room, animatedly talking to a very tall and very slim, fashionable guy. He was wearing expensive-looking, gray slacks with a white polo shirt and gray vest to match. His black loafers were shined, perfecting the outfit. His hair was on the lighter side of brown. When he turned towards her, a bright smile appeared on his somewhat sharp face.

“You must be Jin Ri,” he politely greeted, he raised a hand to shake hers and bowed respectfully.

“I am,” she responded, taking his wiry hand and bowing as well. She gave him a curious smile, glancing at the other members.

“I’m Zhoumi,” he introduced himself.

“He’s Kyuhyun’s best Chinese friend,” Donghae described.

Her eyes lighted up. “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she suddenly gushed. “Kyu’s told me so much about you. Have you guys seen each other yet? He’s been going on and on about missing you these past few days.”

Zhoumi exchanged a quick glance with the other members above her head before turning his attention back to her, chortling. “Kui Xian’s told me a lot about you, too,” he told her. “And it seems that he, as well as everyone else, is right. You are wonderful.” She blushed. “He’s lucky to have you as his girlfriend.”

She coughed and raised her hands to dispute what he said. “I’m not his girlfriend,” she denied, her cheeks turning redder. When all of the boys coughed, which sounded like yeah right to her ears, she insisted. “I’m really not. We’re just…”

“Just what?” Shindong pressed teasingly. “Friends? You’re not even in showbiz and yet you sound like you’re in it.”

“Even if you two don’t admit it, it’s quite obvious that things have changed between you two,” Leeteuk agreed, his dimples showing.

“What changed between whom?” Kyuhyun’s voice sounded after they heard the dorm door closing. He walked in and stopped in his tracks when he saw everyone gathered around Jin Ri and Zhoumi. “Mimi!” he greeted at once, walking to the taller male and wrapping his arms around him. “I came as fast as I could. It’s good to see you.” He patted his back. “I see you’ve met prin—Jin Ri.” He cleared his throat, a blush creeping to his cheeks, put an arm around him and grinned at her.

“You’ve got a great girl,” Zhoumi remarked, patting Kyuhyun’s back.

“I keep telling them that we’re not together,” Jin Ri jumped in, glaring knowingly at Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun removed his arm around Zhoumi and moved towards Jin Ri, putting his arm around her this time. “I’m sorry to say this,” he began, glancing at his hyungs. “But we really can’t fool them, princess,” he went on, meeting her eyes this time.

“Kyuhyun,” Jin Ri hissed consciously when his arm traveled down to her waist. She tried to squiggle out of his arm. The other members all smiled and chuckled at this.

“Excuse us,” Kyuhyun told the others as he pulled her into his room.

“Kyu, I thought we said we weren’t going to tell anyone for now,” Jin Ri started as soon as they were alone. She tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced at the door worriedly.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, they didn’t believe you when you said that you weren’t my girlfriend,” Kyuhyun reiterated. “They don’t believe me every time I say nothing’s going on, even when we weren’t even together.” He paused, watching her face carefully. “Does Sun Young believe we’re not going out?”

She sighed and shook her head. “No,” she muttered. Maybe it was time that she accepted the fact that their relationship could never be kept a secret and could never be normal. After all, dating an idol meant that her life would start to be in the spotlight too. She realized that she should start accepting that fact. Looking up at him, she smiled. “Okay,” she finally agreed. “Let’s make it official.”

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him, leaving no space in between them. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her, giving a peck to her nose, which she scrunched.

“I trust you,” she stated, putting her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I wanted to keep us a secret, but I just thought that it would be better. That way when fans start asking, no one would really know because there’s no confirmation.”

“I wish you wouldn’t be so worried about the fans,” he said soothingly, playing with her hair. “They’ve become more mature. Their support for Donghee hyung’s proposal and his fiancée is proof of that.”

“Okay, no being worried about the fans anymore,” she assured him.

“That’s my girl,” he said, smirking a little at what he said. He leaned his forehead on hers and sighed contentedly. “I like you so much, you know that?”

She smiled and stood on her tiptoe, meeting her lips to his.

~ * ~

Jin Ri stepped into the main foyer, her heels making a clicking sound on the shiny and expensive marble floor. Chung dinners had always been a formal event so she wore a satin black dress that feel just above her knees with a belt, showing her figure, with black heels. Her hair was swept up in a bun. The butler, who had opened the door for her when she arrived, took her coat. He bowed politely at her and left to put her coat in the closet by the side. Her eyes traveled to the fountain in the middle of the two grand staircases on both sides of it up to the beautiful balcony situated on top. She remembered running up and down those stairs, sometimes falling flat on her face on one of the steps, as a kid. She and Sun Young would even play hide and seek. They usually never found each other because of the many nooks and crannies of the huge mansion.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the sitting room, where they were probably waiting for her. As she went through the hallways, she wondered why her uncle suddenly called for dinner that particular evening. Their schedule was usually every Sunday evenings; when everyone was usually back from a business trip and when all their schedules were free. But she didn’t really mind. Chung Mong Koo was the only parent she’d known since her parents died. He had taken very good care of her and had indulged all her wishes and dreams for her life. She would do anything for the man.

Reaching the sitting room, a different butler stood outside the closed doors. She smiled at him and asked if they were inside. He bowed respectfully and proceeded to open the doors for her. She walked in, her steps muffled by the think dark green carpet. The occupants of the room immediately stood up at the sight of her. Sun Young smiled at her, while Il Sung, who was right by her side, gave her a grin. But it was the man seated on the middle sofa whom she approached first.

“Appa,” Jin Ri greeted, cuddling to him, her arms wrapping around his chubby waist. Even when they saw each other every week, each time felt like they hadn’t seen each other in ages. He felt so much like home.

“Riri,” he affectionately greeted back, kissing her head. 

Jin Ri then hugged Sun Young and Il Sung. After which, they all sat down. Jin Ri sat down beside her uncle. 

“Is it just going to be us?” Jin Ri asked, looking around. 

During their Sunday dinners, her cousins, Sun Young’s older brothers, would be present as well. There was Sung Ki, the eldest of the three. He was 27 and one of the big bosses in Hyundai. He was very fatherly. He always answered her phone calls, always willing to listen to whatever she said even if he was so busy. She never saw much of him unless it was during the dinners, which he missed a lot of, or when she visited the office. Yung Ho, the second brother, who was 26 was a big shot lawyer. Scary as he might be at times because he had gotten so used to arguing about everything, he made sure to check on her and Sun Young all the time. Jae Sun, 25, was her favorite male cousin. He owned a couple of bars around Seoul. He was one of the coolest and most inspiring people she knew because he didn’t allow anyone to stop him from living his dream. He was always continuously giving her advice, coaching her.

“They’re in the next room,” Mong Koo told her. “But I wanted to talk to you first.” He glanced at Sun Young. “Sun tells me that you have a boyfriend.”

Jin Ri’s gaze shot towards Sun Young, who mouthed sorry to her. She turned her attention back to her uncle and smiled. “Yes, appa,” she admitted. “His name is Cho Kyuhyun and he’s an—.”

“An idol,” he cut her off.

“He’s really great, appa,” Jin Ri continued unhesitatingly, her eyes lighting up. He had never stopped her in doing what she wanted to do, never really interfered in her life, although he did that at times with his children, especially Sun Young. She went on to share with him the awesomeness that is her boyfriend. Her uncle watched her as she talked, a fixed smile on his face, his legs crossed, one arm on the armrest of the sofa, the other on his lap. “…I really want you to meet him,” she finished.

“I would love to meet him,” her uncle finally said after a couple of seconds of silence. “Why don’t you invite him to one of our dinners? We can schedule something soon, I hope. I’m sure your brothers would love to meet him as well.”

Jin Ri nodded, smiling. She lunged towards him and gave him a hug. “You’ll like him a lot, I promise.”

Mong Koo patted her niece’s head, chuckling. “I’m sure I will.” When she pulled away from him, he stood up, straightening his tie. “I’ll just make a couple of phone calls. Let’s meet in the dining room for dinner in a couple of minutes.” He patted Sun Young’s cheek and Il Sung’s arm before leaving the room.

“Well that went well,” Sun Young stated in relief. Il Sung snickered beside her, putting an arm around her girlfriend. “I thought he was going to ask you to stop seeing Kyuhyun or something.”

“Why would he do that?” Jin Ri inquired.

“Because that’s what he does, Jin,” Sun Young replied exasperatedly. No matter how many times she had told her not to trust her father so much, she still did. She was afraid that one day she’s going to regret everything.

“But she’s never gotten in between you two,” Jin Ri prompted, pointing at her and Il Sung.

Il Sung smiled. “I’m lucky to have been part of an affluent family,” he admitted, looking relieved and comforted at the thought. “If it wasn’t for that very important detail, I don’t think we would be together.”

Jin Ri frowned. She’d never known this before. She’d always thought that it was because they were so in love. Plus, Il Sung was such a good person, so talented and smart. Who wouldn’t want him to be their daughter’s boyfriend?

“Jin,” Sun Young comforted. “Appa knew about you and Kyuhyun somehow. I had no choice but to confirm it.” She smiled easily. “But he seems okay with the whole thing. So there’s probably nothing to worry about.” Jin Ri smiled back and nodded.

“Alright, enough of this talk,” Il Sung said. He put an arm around the waist of both ladies and ushered them out of the room and into the room next door.

The brothers were all lounging on the couches, reading a book, magazine or a newspaper. But all three immediately stood up at the sight of their favorite cousin. Jin Ri was trapped in the middle of three grown men in suits who acted like babies at seeing her. They were all tall and dashing. 

Jae Sun pulled her away from the older ones and trapped her in his arms. “How’s my favorite sister?” he asked.

“Hey!” Sun Young remonstrated, frowning as she looked at him from the magazine she was flipping through.

Jae Sun chortled and gave her the peace sign. Sun Young rolled her eyes at her brother and went back to the magazine.

“Well?” he pressed, squeezing Jin Ri.

“I’m doing good,” Jin Ri laughed. “It’s not like we didn’t see each other last week.”

“Yeah well, we didn’t know you had a boyfriend last week,” Sung Ki stepped in. Jin Ri looked at him then glanced at Yung Ho, who was smiling knowingly as well.

“You all know?” Jin Ri asked in disbelief. When they all just continued smiling, she questioned, “How?”

“Do you hear yourself when you answer the phone?” Yung Ho remarked interestedly, leaning forward in his sitting position. “You sound like Christmas has arrived early. And you don’t get that excited about Christmas.”

Jin Ri looked confused so Jae Sun filled her in. “You sound too happy for your own good,” he told her. “I mean, you’re a happy person, but you’ve never seemed this happy before.”

“I told you,” Sun Young said in a singsong voice, not bothering to look up from the magazine she was reading.

Jin Ri took a seat beside Jae Sun and smiled. “Well, he makes me happy,” she declared softly.

“He better,” Yung Ho scoffed. “He’ll have us to deal with if he ever breaks your heart.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” she expressively assured them. She sighed contentedly as she thought about how wonderful Kyuhyun was to her and as a person. He was just so incredible that sometimes she thought she didn’t deserve him.

“Is that true, Il Sung?” Yung Ho wanted to confirm, glancing at the mentioned male.

“Yeah,” Il Sung established, nodding. “Exceptional dude.”

“That’s good to hear,” Sung Ki stated, smiling warmly at her. Even when she hadn’t been living with them, Jin Ri had always been close to the family. Being an only child, her parents always made her stay over to their house so she could play with Sun Young. Since then, they’d always acted like they had two sisters instead of just one.

“You should hear him sing,” Sun Young added with a grin.

“So when are we going to meet the lucky guy? What’s his name, Kyuhyun?” Jae Sun wanted to know, grinning like a mad man.

“He’s Super Junior’s magnae,” Sun Young supplied excitedly. The boys rolled their eyes disinterestedly.

“Appa asked me to invite him to dinner some time,” Jin Ri shared, smiling a little.

“Isn’t that too soon?” Jae Sun replied, glancing at Sun Young, who shrugged and shook her head as if saying that she couldn’t do anything about it.

“I would love for appa to meet him already,” Jin Ri defended him. “Besides, he seems really willing to get to know Kyuhyun.”

“You should warn your boyfriend,” Sung Ki advised, exchanging a look with Yung Ho. 

Their father had a soft spot for Jin Ri because of her parents’ death. Her father was their father’s favorite brother and best friend. When he died, he took it upon himself to take care of his daughter and to make sure she had a comfortable life, hence the huge apartment, allowing her to be a photographer, letting her do the things that she wanted. But he knew that, at some point, she was going to have to step up to certain responsibilities. She was a Chung, after all. And he wondered, with all the latitude that she had been given, if she would ever be ready for whatever their father had in store for her.


----

*Let Me Fall is a song by Bethany Joy Lenz of One Tree Hill fame. :)